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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537634">say it isn't so</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampiremika/pseuds/vampiremika'>vampiremika</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Angst, M/M, Mafia AU, Running Away, Thriller, ex-valkyrie era, occasional gore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:53:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,555</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29537634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampiremika/pseuds/vampiremika</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mika Kagehira, Mentor's weakest tool, is assigned a dead serious mission. Shu has extremely high expectations for him and yet...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kagehira Mika/Nito Nazuna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>say it isn't so</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>the fic is originally written as an interactive on a friend server, so if things get brutal it's not my fault ;)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Kagehira."<br/>The slim boy flinched at the sound of his name being spoken out in the coldest and harshest way. It sounded brutal, but it also had a hint of pain coming from the speaker himself. To be honest, Mika wouldn't expect to witness Shu feeling hurt over <em>that</em>. Of course, it must've been upsetting and Mika himself was furious at just the thought of the incident. </p>
<p>
  <em>Just how dare he do that?</em>
</p>
<p>The shorter male turned around and glanced at his mentor with his bicoloured eyes. <br/>What he heard from him was not something he'd anticipate...<br/>"He knows too much. Remove him immediately," Shu slid a knife towards Mika's legs as if he was a greasy dog waiting for his bowl of food. <br/>That <em>he</em> was once Kagehira's close acquaintance, a coworker under Oshi-san's dark cape covering the neighbourhood like a demonic shadow. <br/>Unfortunately, said mate decided to break out from Itsuki's circle.</p>
<p><br/>As if it was easy to disappear. </p>
<p><br/>As if it was easy to run away from Shu's claws.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Especially if you worked with him.</em>
</p>
<p><br/>He wasn't one to overshare his secrets, especially if they concerned the Work. <br/>It was simply unacceptable to come to him and receive trust Shu wouldn't just give out to anyone only to leave in the end. <br/>Without a goodbye.<br/>It wasn't acceptable, so anyone who dared to be so reckless had to pay. <br/>"Kagehira. Are you listening?" the pink-haired man stared at him coldly from underneath his hat, to which Mika stared back apologetically. He couldn't quite believe what he just heard, yet he still nodded and turned away from Shu. His mind felt empty and it hurt. All that thinking about what to do not to anger Mentor and he messed it up anyway. Frozen in place, Mika shivered. Every cell of his body wished it could face Itsuki again, but something inside him told him not to.</p>
<p>Unfair. Mika was as mad as Shu was, so why couldn't he stay cool like him? <br/>Although Shu wasn't necessarily cool at the moment.<br/>Kagehira's thoughts spinned around rapidly, only making him sick. Is he too soft for that task? But... why? That guy is a traitor and deserves revenge. <br/>He deserves to suffer.<br/>Yet the only suffering one seemed to be Mika. <br/>Is it because of the emotional ties that were placed on the relationship these two had prior the cowardly abandonment?<br/>Realising he's simply too weak for the task made the heterochromic boy feeling nothing else but-</p>
<p>Gunshot.</p>
<p>"Are you dumb or just this useless?" Shu spoke harshly, his pistol still aiming for the ceiling. Mika's heart started racing at the very noise.<br/>Luckily enough, he isn't the target <em>this time</em>. His boss is very accurate all the time, so it'd have been a game-over for him if the gun was pointed at him. <br/>Shu remained in his sit, one of his gloved hands supporting his chin and legs crossed - kind of like a sassy queen you could read in fairytales sometimes.<br/>Sadly, it wasn't a fairytale. It was the brutal reality of this cold grey town.</p>
<p>And Mika was entrusted with a task. <br/>A task anyone would be more suitable for. <br/>Yet he was the one chosen for it.<br/>What is Shu trying to achieve?</p>
<p>Maybe he knows Mika won't make it out alive and is just getting rid of him without having to dirty himself. </p>
<p>"Don't you dare let me down, you useless doll. Search for Nito and assassinate him immediately."</p>
<p>The slender figure often associated with a shadow kneeled down and stretched out his hand to grab the knife. <br/>He got up and stood there in silence.<br/>It wasn't right to go after Nazuna despite him being a traitor. </p>
<p><br/>He didn't want to think it was right to go after Nazuna.</p>
<p>And he wouldn't have to if the one desiring Nito's death disappeared.<br/>Taking a step back, Mika avoided Shu's cold glance. The unexpecting eyes of his victims always hurt to look into. He hated that part of his job. <br/>Not that he particularly enjoyed killing more or less innocent people in the first place, but seeing their faces has dealt damage to Mika as well.<br/>"Why don't you take your lea-" Itsuki's sentence was abruptly stopped by his underclassman dashing at him with the sharp weapon.<br/>A stream of blood fell down from Shu's cheek and stained his frilly white shirt. <br/>How did he even manage to dodge this attack though?<br/>"You foolish abomination of a human creature. What caused you to think you could harm me? I <em>am</em> your Mentor and your cheap tricks won't do anything to me", the man growled whilst holding Mika's dominant wrist tightly. <br/>"Do not disobey me again. Or else," he now twisted the other's hand so that the blade touched his nose.<br/>"I don't need traitors onboard and I will <em>not</em> hesitate to throw you away for your reckless behaviour if you fail to contain yourself again," Shu pushed Mika on the ground brutally.</p>
<p>It hurt and the skin on his palms turned red. <br/>He deserved that, though. </p>
<p>Wiping off the intuitive dust that'd obviously never have its place in Shu's mansion Kagehira got up and left quickly, avoiding looking at Mentor's bleeding face.</p>
<p>The job has to be done.</p>
<p>Mika entered the darkest alleyway around. Nobody ever entered it, since it was pretty obscure and neglected. Dirty and old - definitely not something Shu would enjoy.<br/>Maybe that's why the two of them decided to head exactly that way... To have a place to spend time without the cold ruler's supervision.</p>
<p>The joyous moments they shared was something Mika held really, really close to his heart. He's never been happier before, so acknowledging Nazuna's disappearance was like a spear right through Kagehira's innocent soul.</p>
<p>Walking down the pitch black street and guiding himself fully by memory, he notices a faint light on a hill. Normally it wouldn't be visible because it comes from a mere smartphone screen, but since there's no other source of light Mika's eyes were longing for it, they caught it immediately. </p>
<p>Was he waiting?</p>
<p>The slender boy's hair began to get messy as his feet ran towards said hill.<br/>It was surrounded by an abandoned playground that nobody would visit anymore, since it was pretty dangerous. It was left to rot by itself. Maybe that's why Mika was so attached to that place? He could relate to it in a way.<br/>Though maybe it was because of the first kiss they shared there? </p>
<p>Memories of the night came to him like a violent wave on the ocean. <br/>Sitting on the cold ground, shivering from the cool temperatures. Holding hands and staring at the stars with no distance from each other. Suddenly, the crimson eyes get a glimpse of shiny, two-coloured irises of Mika's and his soft lips meet the rougher, sweet from all the candies, rims.</p>
<p>His face became sullen and sick. Was it a trick Nazuna played on him? Did he intend to hurt him? <br/>Either way, Mika was <em>not</em> ready to look at his face. The wound was still fresh and it would just be like putting salt on it.<br/>But he had a task to fulfill.</p>
<p>A task he didn't want to fulfill, yet was so eager to see Nito's expression become pained. He wanted to get revenge for being fooled like a child. </p>
<p>As Kagehira approached the playground and stepped on its wild grass, Nazuna heard a human get close and flinched.</p>
<p>He didn't expect anyone to disturb his silence in the middle of the night, especially on a weeknight.<br/>Their eyes meet and both their mouths open at the same time, but only one manages to speak.</p>
<p>"Ya traitor! D'ya think ya can jus' run 'round all freely like that?!" Mika growled in Nazuna's face as tears began to gather in his eyes. <br/>Why must their encounter feel so cruel? After everything they've gone through together... why do things have to end this way?<br/>Kagehira reached out to his coat's pocket and wrapped his fingers around the handle of the knife he kept in there.<br/>"Mika-chin... I had to. I'm sorry..." the shorter of the two exclaimed with a gloomy look in his eyes, getting closer to the other and resting his head on Mika's chest.<br/>It was wrong to get friendly with him after everything Nazuna has done, but the urge couldn't be resisted.</p>
<p>Instead of pushing him away, what the younger one initially was thinking of doing, he put his free arm on Nito's shoulder.<br/>"Ya hafta run away. As far as ya can. Oshi-san wants ya dead," Mika whispered, holding back the need to cry.<br/>"But..."<br/>"No buts. I'mma cover up fer ya. Take yer chance and keep yaself alive," Kagehira told him. Letting his weapon go, he framed Nazuna's face with both his hands. <br/>The crimson irises get lost in the shine of amber and lapis lazuli, just like they did back then. And their lips meet, and their bodies share one heartbeat.<br/>"I'll find ya again. Stay safe until't all's over, Nazuna-nii."<br/>"I love you."<br/>Mika turned his back and distanced himself from the blonde.<br/>Walking away, he began contemplating what would be wiser to do: to leave Mentor just like Nazuna did or come back without fulfilling his request?</p>
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